Bay 12 Games Forum

Delwyn

Arnett is a surprisingly good listener even while he's drawing. There was a therapeutic quality to him— instead of jotting notes down about Delwyn, however, he just continued to draw out all of her features and add life to the paper that was just a blank slate. He listened, and listened— only chiming in when Delwyn apologized.

"H-hey, it's okay, I don't mind listening. If he is watching... then I'm sure he's gotta be proud- we're all working hard and I know we're gonna win this next round! I promise I'll back you up too," Arnett says with a little flash of a smile. His gaze still flitted down to the sketch every so often, but he was getting better at eye contact nonetheless. "But... it's okay if you just wanna win this for yourself too and not for anyone else. I, uh... gotta learn that independence myself."

Lin

Arnett immediately found the mental image of himself in full plate armor. Even though chain felt like it'd feel more restricting, full plate armor felt like it'd look tremendously silly on him. But, as Arnett held the chain...

"...Hey, question. Um... I like the idea of chain for me, but... you know my Imago, the thingy I summon into battle with paint?... Do you think that could possibly have armor fitted for it? I could also just have him stand around for you to take measurements on... um, that's not an immediate concern though— I'd have to put the armor on him beforehand and having him out takes a toll on me, so I need to get better at that first..."

Lin

"Maybe not a full plate suit, I don't think I could even come close to walking around in that... chain though, maybe... like, the stuff I could just put over my apron, or under... probably under, I don't wanna get paint on it..." Arnett digs his shoe into the ground, feeling a little sheepish. He could tell Lin was very into armor— meanwhile he pretty much didn't have much of a clue of what it actually could look and feel like. "But... If you want me to try out custom alloy, I could give it a shot; less weight for me's probably best so I can keep carrying as much as I usually do...!"

Delwyn

"Oooooooh." Arnett went silent for a moment. Awkward, but at least he didn't feel like crawling into a hole and dying. That was progress, right? "Yeah, as brothers... We do get along pretty well. Really well, actually..." There's a moment where Arnett doesn't know whether he should approach the topic of Delwyn's brother, but... curiosity eventually gave in. After all, friends should be able to share, right? "...I... didn't know you had a brother. When was the last time you, um... saw him?"

Lin

"Tomes... yeah, I think that'd probably make more sense. Can still use them up close and all..." Arnett thinks for a moment, as his eyes flit over to his arms, before he looks back at Lin when she offers to be his shield.

"Whuh- huh- use you? Wait, no, I don't think I can do that-" Arnett does a little hand wave out of panic. "I mean- that's really nice of you! And your muscles are really nice and strong! For- uh- fighting! But- no, I think I do need to learn how to fend for myself- otherwise, what'll I do when no one else is there...?"


Delwyn

"What I would draw here... well, I've been trying to practice drawing others, so I would probably like to try and paint you if you didn't mind staying still for a bit... the lightning and the window would be perfect, especially since the environment would blend in nicely with your outfit..." Arnett started finger framing Delwyn against the window, before hurriedly putting his hands away. "Er, sorry- force of habit."

His light embarrassment was only amplified by the sight of the photo.

"Ah- th-thanks! You really developed it- jeez, did I really smile like that? Not that it's bad- I just wish I had a little bit more confidence with my expression... then again, I was still learning... well, still am learning... but I think it could be a nice memory... can I share it with Orrel?"

Lin

"Well, uh, it's just... I kinda sometimes think I could... you know... get a little more..." Arnett bites his tongue somewhat trying to think of the proper wording without sounding silly, so in a way that was sillier than anything he could have possibly said, he gently flexes a complete lack of bicep. His eyes flit towards his arm, then back to Lin.


Delwyn

Arnett took a deep exhale of breath to finally let out all of the tension he had been bottling up the whole way there.

"R-right. Okay... G-good to know. Um... Yeah, I did bring some paints," Arnett said as he held up his armful of art supplies. "I- uh- got the essentials, and my sketchbook too just in case... Did you- um- want me to draw anything for you?"

Arnett's mind had already been racing a few miles per hour, so the feeling of a hand on his shoulder caused him to make a slight 'eep' sound— but he didn't make any sudden movements, so that was some improvement! At the very least, it caught his attention- he didn't quite hear Delwyn's call at first.

"D-Delwyn, hi-" Arnett took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Uh- sure! East wing, third floor, um- I remember there's an alcove with a big window that I used to sketch the scenery one time, otherwise we can see if we can meet in one of the classrooms... or if no one's meditating at the shrine, we could go there too.." Arnett's so busy thinking of locations that he doesn't once think to ask why Delwyn asked for him.

Arnett felt odd walking into the forge, but felt like he had to try and do... some kind of job that involved heavier lifting if he was to get stronger in both body and mind. He peered in to see Lin and Freddie already at work, then tottered inside himself.


"Hi, Lin... and, um, hi-" It was then that Arnett realized, as he made the mistake of making eye contact towards Freddie... He didn't remember all of the names of the people that weren't his classmates. That was a great start.

"...J-... Just wanted to stop by!" It was then that he immediately started walking backwards, thinking of coming back another day.

Now, Arnett was starting to feel somewhat of a melty mess from all of the praise. He wasn't expecting this much of a reaction, nor was he expecting himself to be so obvious about it. He felt bad... but at the same time, it felt nice to be reminded he wasn't a pushover.

"Th... thank you. I'll- I'll make sure to keep doing my best from here on- I... I promise."

Arnett was, frankly, quiet throughout the discussions of the Seekers of Calamity. He nodded along mostly to what Professor Greyhame and Orrel would say— but internally, his mind was a storm of thoughts. There was so much of a legacy that his father had left behind- a legacy that Orrel was going to inherit and go up against. He still hadn't forgotten how hardly noticed he was in the eyes of that man who spoke to his brother, hardly noticing the little brother as he shrunk into the crowd without a single word to say in defiance. After a little bit, Arnett started tuning out everything and twirled a little paintbrush in his hand— hoping that nobody noticed his idle fidgeting as his eyes showed that he stopped following what was going on... mostly for the sake of his own sanity.

It wasn't that he was running, surely— it was more that he was taking a backseat. That was how he usually rolled, even during the class's battles— he took a backseat while everyone else did spectacular feats. Sure, it sounded cool, but even if he was able to do something so amazing... how could he live with that pressure? The attention? What if the Seekers turned their eyes on him and he wouldn't have the same spine that Orrel did?

"...clear."

A single word that was said only because everyone else was saying it.

...Too much. Arnett wished he could just start sketching without looking tremendously rude to Professor Greyhame.